1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to an integrated load bearing belt and a climbing harness, such as a harness used to rappel from a building, cliff, helicopter, or the like.
2. Background Art
To conduct high angle (steep climb and down rappel) urban operations, include assaults or rescues in buildings, climbers have to wear both a load bearing xe2x80x9cutilityxe2x80x9d or tool belt as well as a climbing harness that has fixed leg loops. Similar requirements arise in the event of assaults, searches, and rescues on cliffs or steep mountainous terrain. The load bearing belt is used to carry and support the gear and tools the user requires for the particular operation. In the case of a rescue operation, for example, the load bearing belt carries paramedic supplies. In the circumstance of an assault by military or law enforcement personnel, the load bearing belt may bear a firearm and/or nightstick, and/or other weapons and defensive gear, as well as a first aid kit or the like.
In order to perform high angle maneuvers using climbing ropes, the user must also be equipped with some sort of climbing harness wherewith the user is removably and controllably connected to the climbing rope or ropes deployed in the operation. If a climbing harness is not available, users typically use a xe2x80x9cSwiss seatxe2x80x9d (webbing or rope to form a makeshift harness) or they use a rappel belt. The use of either a Swiss seat or a rappel belt can be very uncomfortable and dangerous. Ideally, to simplify use and improve efficiency and comfort, a system would be provided for combining the load bearing belt and climbing harness into an integrated system.
Rappelling or hanging from a rappel belt (hanging from single point) can cause serious life-threatening injuries. A rappel belt is worn around the waist with a V-ring located at the front of the belt as the single rappel point. Hanging free or repelling on a single point on one""s waist, without the use of leg loops, forces all the weight on the lower back. When only a rappel belt is used to secure the climber, a dynamic fall can produce unacceptable forces on the body. Forces greater than 8 G (8 times body weight) will inflict serious life-threatening injuries to the user""s back and internal organs. The rappel belt can also ride high up and over the rib cage to the user""s diaphragm, constricting breathing. Further, a rappel belt increases the difficulty of performing various operations, due to the inherent twisting motion of the user""s body while attached only to one line at a single point. Hanging from a rappel belt is also very uncomfortable.
The Swiss seat is an improvised seat harness made by the user from available webbing or rope. To properly tie the Swiss seat, it must be flush against the body, thus requiring the user to remove all other equipment from around the waist. A Swiss seat also takes time and skill to construct, which may not be available at the moment of need in a rescue or assault operation. A makeshift Swiss seat harness is generally constructed from narrow 11 mm rope or 1-inch webbing. These type of materials cut into the user""s legs and waist making long-term hanging or repelling from a Swiss seat very uncomfortable.
Additionally, there are a number safety issues associated with most currently available climbing harnesses. Known harnesses typically have fixed leg loops, i.e., leg loops that cannot be stored. When a user is wearing a climbing harness but has no immediate need for it, such as when the user is repelling, climbing, or hanging on a hoist, the dangling, exposed leg loops can get snagged unexpectedly, causing a dangerous operational situation. Moreover, when a user has no immediate need for a climbing harness, but nevertheless wears one for the sake of preparedness, it is uncomfortable to have leg loops on for extended periods of time, e.g., one hour or more.
The need for a dependable harness is evident when, for example, during helicopter FAST rope insertion, the fixed leg loops of a standard climbing harness snag on a part of the helicopter, causing the user to hang upside down beneath the belly of a flying helicopter. As a result of incidents such as this and other recognized deficiencies in the standard climbing harness, the present invention was developed to satisfy the special needs of tactical, rescue, and medical missions.
Examples of belt and/or harness type devices known in the art include:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,134 to Rosenblum;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,715 to Scialdone;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,941 to Villeneuve;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,412 to Bell;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,574 to Ruesink;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,315 to Crane; and
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,364 to Popall et al.
In addition, United Kingdom patent publications GB 2,115,684A (September. 1983), GB 2,191,560A ((December 1987), and GB 2,255,622A (November 1992) disclose certain features of belt and harness devices known in the art. All the foregoing references are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
At present, there is no integrated load bearing belt and climbing harness available that can perform both the equipment support function and the climbing function required in many tactical operations. Against this background, the present invention was developed.
The inventive apparatus comprises a novel designed load bearing harness with specially tailored stow-away leg loops. The versatility of the invention enables it to have unlimited mission capabilities. This harness is designed for users such as SWAT teams, law enforcement, military personnel, emergency medical rescue teams, and the like. Users of the invention benefit from the security of being equipped with a load bearing belt to support operational equipment, as well as a climbing harness on demand. Such operational environments may include operating within elevator shafts and other enclosed spaces, or ascending and descending from high-rise structures or cliffs. Other operational situations may include rapid transition from ground rescue to aerial rescue and vice versa, or safe, quick, and comfortable emergency hoist extraction.
The invention also offers the capability of incorporating or attaching special accessories to enhance its mission function. For example, a tactical accessory pouch, which attaches to the inventive harness apparatus, has many functions. It can serve as an airway pouch for tactical medics, thus providing quick access to provisions to treat emergency airway injuries. The pouch, even when open, retains items in place in their internal pouches and it has the capability to be closed quickly using a Velcro(copyright) strap.
Also included as a feature of the invention is a personal tie-down strap, equipped with a quick-release system, specially designed to allow users to secure themselves to an object by connecting a flexible tie down strap between the inventive harness and the anchoring object. For example, the tie-down strap can be used on aircraft, vehicles, and boats when it is necessary for the user to anchor himself for safety. The inventive combination of the harness, tactical accessory pouch, and the personal tie-down strap combine to form the integrated system of the complete inventive apparatus.
The invention integrates a safe, strong, well-fitted, comfortable, convenient, and not too complex climbing harness with a specifically designed load-bearing belt. The inventive harness serves the same purpose as a sit harness, seat harness, or a thigh-loop harness. The harness comprises an adjustable, padded, wide nylon-webbing waistband that is secured to the user""s body with a climbing buckle. The harness also includes two adjustable wide flat-webbing leg loops fixed on one side of the waistband that are stored easily in a small, readily accessible pouch. The padded waistband has belt loops on the outside that integrates a rigid two-layer SCUBA belt webbing with a quick-on/quick-off buckle that will not twist or sag like typical nylon waist webbing. The SCUBA belt webbing is a load bearing belt, designed to easily carry essential first line equipment such as, a holster, magazine pouch, radio pouch, thigh pouch, gas mask, accessory pouch, or the like. The invention is designed to incorporate most if not all of these features.
There is provided according to the invention in combination with a load bearing belt upon which various equipment may be disposed, a harness comprising a waistband, a plurality of connecting loops upon said waistband, said connecting loops movable between an open position to permit said load bearing belt to be disposed in parallel contact with said waistband and a closed position around said load bearing belt, and fasteners upon said connecting loops whereby said connecting loops may be fastened in the closed position thereby to maintain said waistband and said load bearing belt in generally parallel contact during use. Preferably the harness further comprises a leg loop pouch attached to said waistband, and leg loops attached to said waist band, wherein said leg loops are movable between a stowed position completely within said leg loop pouch and a deployed position completely outside said leg loop pouch.
Alternatively characterized, the invention is a combination load bearing belt and climbing harness apparatus, said apparatus comprising a load bearing belt upon which items may be temporarily carried, a harness waistband disposable in parallel contact with said load bearing belt, and a plurality of connecting loops disposed upon said harness waistband and movable between an open position and a closed position said connecting loops having fasteners thereon to permit said connecting loops to be fastened in the closed position, wherein said connecting loops are movable to the open position to permit the load bearing belt to be placed in contact with said harness waistband, and are movable to the closed position around said load bearing belt temporarily but securely to hold together as a unit said load bearing belt and said harness waistband. In this embodiment, the load bearing belt further comprises a quick-release buckle with which said load bearing buckle may be secured about a user""s waist. The harness waistband is movable between a stowed position and a use position, and further comprises a releasable loop for holding a first end of said waistband in a folded condition adjacent to said load bearing belt when said waistband is in the stowed potion, and further comprising a climbing buckle upon a second end of said waistband, wherein said first and an said second end of said waistband are connectable together with said climbing buckle when said waistband is in the use position. Advantageously, the harness waistband is disposable in the stowed position while said load bearing belt is secured about a user""s waist, or the harness waistband is disposable in the use position, with said first end connected to said second end by means of said climbing buckle, while said load bearing belt is secured about a user""s waist. Preferably, the harness further comprises a leg loop pouch attached to said waistband, and leg loops permanently attached to said waistband, wherein said leg loops are movable between a stowed position completely within said leg loop pouch and a deployed position completely outside said leg loop pouch.
An additional advantageous feature of the invention is a tactical thigh pouch removably attachable to said load bearing belt. The tactical thigh pouch comprises a pouch container, said container comprising a front portion and a back portion, said portions separable to place said container in an open position to permit access to the interior of said container, fasteners for releasably fastening together said front and back portions of said container in a closed position, a looped attachment strap upon said container for removably attaching said container to said load bearing belt, a hook strap stowable upon said looped attachment strap, complementary fasteners upon said hook strap and upon said front portion of said container, wherein said container may be maintained in the closed position by deploying said hook strap from said looped attachment strap and engaging said complementary fasteners.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tactical climbing harness, including leg loops, that can be comfortably and safely stowed on and beneath an ordinary load bearing belt when not in use, but yet which is easily and rapidly deployable when needed.
A primary advantage of the present invention is that a load bearing belt and a climbing harness may be temporarily integrated as a single unit, with the harness being available for use at all times without interfering with the use of the load bearing belt.
Other objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.